Machine and method for the automatic preparation of intravenous medication

ABSTRACT

A machine for the automatic preparation of an intravenous medication is provided. In one implementation the machine has a chamber with a starting products area where at least one receptacle is disposed with a base product from which the intravenous medication is generated, a transfer tools area where at least one transfer tool that is used to prepare the required medication is disposed, a prepared products area where at least one container to house the prepared medication is disposed, and a first robot to handle the transfer tool, the first robot being adapted to transport the transfer tool between the transfer tools area, the starting products area and the prepared products area in order to prepare the intravenous medication.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/276,119, filed Oct. 18, 2011, which relates to and claims the benefitand priority to European Patent Application EP11382202, filed Jun. 17,2011.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to machines for the automatic preparation ofintravenous medication.

BACKGROUND

Machines for the automatic preparation of intravenous medication areknown. The medication is the result of the mixture of specific amountsof different base products, and in many cases, once the medication hasbeen prepared, it is packaged in containers adapted to house it. Thebase products are stored in vials and a preset amount is removed fromthem, sufficient to generate the required intravenous medication.

In many hospitals, for instance, medications are prepared manually,though an increasing number of hospitals now have a machine to preparemedications. The vials or receptacles housing the necessary baseproducts are disposed in the machine, and the machine handles the vialsin order to create a mixture of the base products they house, in therequired quantities for each of them and in the required order.

One of these machines is disclosed in document WO 2009147252 A1. Themachine comprises different work areas that are separate to each other,such as a storage area where the receptacles or vials are disposed, anda preparation area where the final medication, based on the baseproducts present in the vials, is prepared.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to one implementation a machine is provided that comprises astarting products area where the base products from which the requiredmedication is generated are disposed, a transfer tools area where atleast one syringe that is used to prepare the required medication isdisposed, a prepared products area to house the prepared medication, andat least one robot to communicate the different areas with each other.

The robot, the starting products area, the transfer tools area, and theprepared products area are disposed in the same cabinet or chamber ofthe machine, so that the robot is adapted to communicate the areas witheach other in the chamber, transporting the receptacles, the syringeand/or the container from one area to another to prepare the requiredmedication.

As a result, as all the operations for the preparation of theintravenous medication can be carried out in the same cabinet orchamber, the different areas are not isolated from each other and, forexample, in the event of the machine breaking down a user can access thechamber and carry out the preparation of the medication manually, beingable to make use of the space occupied by the machine for the samemedication preparation function even when the machine is not working. Inaddition, as it does not comprises storage members and/or carrouselswhere different receptacles and containers are stored, for example,there is no need to use additional movement tools to position therequired receptacles and containers in a final position adapted for thepreparation of the intravenous medication in progress as they arealready disposed in the final position.

These and other advantages and characteristics of the invention will bemade evident in the light of the drawings and the detailed descriptionthereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the machine of theinvention.

FIG. 2 a shows a front view of a chamber or cabinet of the machine ofFIG. 1, where the automatic preparation of medication is carried out.

FIG. 2 b is a perspective view of the chamber or cabinet of FIG. 2 a.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a receptacle among those used in the machineof FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a container among those used in the machineof FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a tool for a robot of the machine of FIG. 1, which isadapted to pick up and handle transfer tools, with a transfer tool.

FIG. 6 shows drainage means of the machine of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a machine 100 designed for the preparationof medication from at least one base product, in particular for thepreparation of intravenous cytotoxic medicines.

With reference to FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, a cabinet or chamber 10 of themachine 100 is shown. In one implementation the machine 100 comprises astarting products area 1 where base products are disposed and from whichthe required medication is generated. The base products are preferablyhoused inside receptacles 2 that may correspond with vials such as theone shown by way of example in FIG. 3. Disposed within a transfer toolsarea 3 of the machine 100 are as many transfer tools 4 as will be neededduring the preparation of the medication. A transfer tool 4 may be, forexample, a syringe. Disposed in a prepared products area 5 is at leastone container 6 adapted to house the prepared medication. The container6 may be a perfusion bag such as the one shown by way of example in FIG.4. The container may also comprise a bottle, an elastomeric infuser orother type of container. Also disposed within the chamber 10 is at leastone robot 7 that is adapted to transport and/or handle the receptacles2, the transfer tool 4, and/or the container 6 to carry out thepreparation. In one implementation the at least one robot 7 comprises anarticulated arm, The robot 7 and the areas 1, 3 and 5 are disposed inthe same cabinet or chamber 10 of the machine 100, so that the robot 7is disposed to communicate the areas 1, 3 and 5 with each other in thechamber 10 transporting the receptacles 2, the transfer tool 4 and/orthe container 6 from one area to another to prepare the requiredmedication.

In one embodiment, the robot 7 is adapted to transport a transfer tool 4from one area to another to prepare the required medication, withouttransporting the receptacles 2 and the containers 6, so that the robot 7carries the transfer tools 4 to the corresponding receptacles 2 andcontainers 6. The robot 7 is thus adapted to pick up a transfer tool 4from the transfer tools area 3 and transport it to the starting productsarea 1 to cause the total or partial filling of the transfer tool 4 withthe necessary or required amount of the base product present in acorresponding receptacle 2, and to then transport the transfer tool 4 tothe prepared products area 5 to cause the transfer tool 4 to totally orpartially empty into at least one corresponding container 6. Althoughthe medication is normally generated with a single base product, in somecases a mixture of different base products is needed to obtain therequired medication, cases in which a different transfer tool 4 is usedfor each base product. Once the contents of a transfer tool 4 have beendischarged in a container 6, the robot 7 deposits the transfer tool 4 inthe transfer tools area 1 and picks up a new transfer tool 4 disposedbeforehand in the transfer tools area 1 in order to fill it totally orpartially with a new base product, the aforementioned process startingagain until the required amount of the base product is deposited in thecontainer 6. In the container 6 is thus generated the mixture of baseproducts used to create the required medication, the pre-preparedmedication being deposited or stored in the container 6.

In one embodiment the machine 100 comprises a tool 8 that is fixed tothe robot 7, shown in FIG. 5, by means of which the robot 7 holds andhandles the transfer tools 4. In one implementation the tool 8 comprisesclaws 49 or equivalent members controlled by the robot 7 to hold atransfer tool 4, which can be a syringe, and comprises an actuator 48 toact on a plunger 40 of the syringe and enable the total or partialfilling and/or emptying of the syringe, the movement of the plunger 40being controlled by the robot 7, which is controlled by control meanssuch as a microprocessor for example (not shown in the figures), of themachine 100. The receptacles 2 may be disposed in a substantiallyvertical position with the inlet access disposed in the bottom part, andthe robot 7 positions the syringe 4, by means of the tool 8, in asubstantially vertical position facing the corresponding receptacle 2 inorder to fill, totally or partially, the syringe with the correspondingbase product. The same occurs in order to empty the contents of thesyringe in the container 6. Once the syringe has been positioned in thisway, the robot 7 causes a vertical upwards movement of the syringetowards the corresponding receptacle 2 or container 6 until a needle 41(or an equivalent element that may be used as an injection system) ofthe syringe is introduced into the receptacle 2 or the container 6, andthe actuator 48 then acts on the plunger 40 of the syringe in order tofill the syringe with the required amount of the base product present inthe corresponding receptacle 2 or in order to empty the contents of thesyringe into the corresponding container 6. Evidently, the plunger 40moves in an opposite direction when filling and emptying a syringe.

In one embodiment the machine 100 can also comprise, in the chamber 10,a reconstituting area 11 to reconstitute the receptacles 2 comprising apowdered or lyophilised base product in their interior. Reconstitutingshould be understood as making a powdered or lyophilised base productsoluble in liquid or dissolving it, and in the reconstituting area 11the machine 100 comprises dosage means (not shown in the figures), whichcan be conventional, and whose function is to introduce a specificliquid into the receptacle 2 with the base product to be reconstituted.For the reconstitution, the machine 100 can comprise a second robot 12that is adapted to pick up a receptacle 2 from the starting productsarea 1 in order to transport it to the reconstituting area 11, and totransport it again to the starting product tool area 1 once the contentsof the receptacle 2 have been reconstituted, so that a transfer tool 4can now be filled with the contents of the receptacle 2. In oneembodiment the machine 100 also comprises a tool or tools (not shown inthe figures) that are disposed in the starting products area 1 andsupport the receptacles 2. In such an embodiment the second robot 12 maypick up the corresponding tool in order to transport the requiredreceptacle 12. Although in the embodiment of FIG. 2 a the machinecomprises a second robot 12 for the reconstitution, it is also possibleto use the robot 7 to perform the function without the need to include asecond robot 12.

In one embodiment the machine 100 also comprises a weighing area 9located in the chamber 10 that includes one or more scales 90 (or otherweighing apparatus) used to weigh both the transfer tools 4 and thereceptacles 2. The corresponding robot 7 or 12 disposes a transfer tool4 or a receptacle 2 on the scales 90 in order to weigh it.

The machine 100 can also comprise cleaning means or system to clean thechamber 10 automatically once the medication has been prepared or aftervarious preparation cycles. The cleaning means comprise at least onehole 14 through which a sprayed liquid or a fluid in the form of a jetis introduced into one or more certain areas of the chamber 10 or in thechamber 10 in its entirety, which can be water. As a result, the fluidsweeps the surfaces of the chamber 10 clean and also washes away anydirt that that may have adhered to the robot 7, to the second robot 12,and/or the different areas 1, 3, 5, 9 and 11, for example, which aremade, at least in the outer part, of a material resistant to the fluidto be used (for example water). The machine 100 may also comprisedrainage means as shown in FIG. 6, to drain the chamber 10 of the fluidintroduced by the cleaning means. The drainage means may comprise atleast one drainage hole 20 disposed in the bottom part of the chamber 10and at least one drainage surface 21 in the bottom part of the chamber10, on which at least part of the fluid introduced falls. The drainagesurface 21 comprises a slope that runs downwards to the drainage hole 20to direct the fluid towards the drainage hole.

The machine 100 may also comprise drying means or system to dry cleaningfluid from the walls that delimit the chamber 10 and to dry the elementswithin the chamber 10. In one implementation the drying means comprisesa chamber inlet access (not shown in the figures) that may be situatedin a top part of the chamber 10, and at least one airflow router (notshown in the figures), such as a fan, that forces airflow into thechamber 10 through the chamber inlet access. In one implementation anoutlet access 24 is provided in the bottom of the chamber 10 thataccommodates the removal of moisture from the chamber as airflow isbeing forced through the chamber by means of the airflow router. As aresult, thanks to the drainage and to the drying the fluid is removedfrom the chamber 10 completely, resulting in the suitable cleaning ofthe chamber 10. The inlet and outlet accesses and the airflow system canalso be used during the preparation of the required medication, toensure that the air in the chamber 10 is purified and insulated from theexterior and also that potentially contaminated air does not escape fromthe chamber 10 to the exterior (protection of the user and theenvironment). In one embodiment, the machine 100 also comprises a filternot shown in the figures which is disposed in the outlet access 24, sothat the air that is removed from the chamber 10 passes through thefilter where toxic or unwanted particles are prevented from escapingfrom the chamber 10. In one implementation the filter is disposed andlaid flat within the outlet access and is surrounded by drainagesurfaces 21 of the drainage means, and each one of the drainage surfaces21 comprises a wall 26 on the side closest to the filter, therebyensuring that during the preparation or the drainage no liquid reachingthe drainage surfaces 21 can dampen the filter. (I do not understandthis.) Evidently the filter can be disposed in another position in whichit does not need to be surrounded by drainage surfaces 21, such asagainst an internal wall of the chamber 10. The filter may be anactivated carbon filter.

The machine 100 may also comprise a user interface 110 that allows auser to program the functionality of the robot 7 or the robots 7 and 12so that they act in the manner required to obtain the medication.

A method for the preparation of intravenous medication according to oneimplementation is explained below. Firstly, the receptacles 2 with therequired base products from which the required medication is generatedare manually disposed in the starting products area 1, the transfertools 4 necessary to prepare the medication are manually disposed in thetransfer tools area 3, and the necessary containers 6 are manuallydisposed in the prepared products area 5. For this purpose, the user orusers carrying out these operations accesses the chamber 10 by partiallyor completely opening a cover 101 of the machine 100 that covers thefront of the chamber 10, so that it is also kept insulated from theexterior.

Before or after these manual operations have been carried out, a userenters the necessary data or information into a control system of themachine 100 through the interface 110. Once the components have beenproperly placed in the chamber 10 and the control system has beenproperly programmed, the user after entering any necessary data into thecontrol system may act upon the control system to cause the procedure tostart. The necessary data may be, for example, information related tothe base products to be used and to the amounts of each base product tobe used. Alternatively, this information may also be pre-stored in amemory of the machine, for example (entered when carrying out apre-preparation or even entered before any preparation is carried out),in which case the user only has to indicate which preparation should becarried out.

Once the necessary receptacles 2, transfer tools 4 and container 6 havebeen disposed in their corresponding areas 1, 3 and 5, the robot 7carries out a preparation operation in which it picks up a transfer tool4 from the transfer tools area 3, transports the transfer tool 4 to thestarting products area 1, causes the transfer tool 4 to be partially orcompletely filled with a specific amount of a base product present in acorresponding receptacle 2, transports the transfer tool 4 with the baseproduct to the prepared products area 5, and partially or completelyempties the transfer tool 4 into a corresponding container 6. The robot7 carries out as many preparation operations as are necessary to preparethe required amount of medication and may use a different transfer tool4 for each of the different base products. When all the necessaryoperations have been completed, when the required medication is deemedto have been prepared, the machine 100 can indicate the end of thepreparation with visual and/or sound alarms, for example. Once therequired medication has been prepared, a user may access the chamber 10to collect the container 6 housing the medication. Similarly, once therobot 7 has used a transfer tool 4 the robot 7 may dispose of thetransfer tool 4, depositing it, for example, in a location designed forsuch a purpose and not shown in the figures.

In one implementation the robot 7 only handles the transfer tools 4 andfills them with a liquid base product. In such a case, in oneimplementation the control means is adapted to identify if anyreceptacles 2 comprise a powdered or lyophilised base product, and ifthis is the case, a second robot 12 controlled by the control meanstransports the receptacle 2 from the starting products area 1 to areconstituting area 11 where the base product is dissolved, changing toa liquid state, and returns it once more to the starting products area1. In one implementation the second robot 12, after the correspondingliquid has been introduced into the receptacle 2 in the reconstitutingarea 11, shakes the receptacle 2 so that the base product dissolvescorrectly before transporting it to the starting products area 1. Thereconstituting operation can be performed at the same time as thepreparation operation performed by the robot 7, while one robot preparesthe mixture with base products in a liquid state (the robot 7), theother robot (second robot 12) can at the same time be reconstituting areceptacle 2 whose contents are not in a liquid state. This results in avery flexible and speedy preparation method. As stated above, in anotherembodiment the reconstituting operation can also be carried out by therobot 7, without the need for the machine 100 to comprise a second robot12.

The method may also comprise a weighing phase to determine whether theamount of a base product contained in a syringe is suitable or not. Forthis purpose the robot 7 transports an empty transfer tool 4 originatingfrom the transfer tools area 3 to the weighing area 9 where it isweighed, and does the same with the transfer tool 4 containing the baseproduct recently acquired from a receptacle 2. The control meanscompares both weight measurements and if the amount is correct, therobot 7 transports the transfer tool 4 to the prepared products area 5.If the amount is not correct two circumstances can arise. If the amountof base product in the transfer tool is smaller than that required, thetransfer tool 4 is taken to the starting products area 1 so that it canbe filled with more of the corresponding base product. If, on the otherhand, the amount of base product in the transfer tool is greater thanthat required, the excess amount is deposited in a receptacle (not shownin the figures) located in the chamber 10 and set up for this purpose oris disposed in a specific area of the chamber 10. In both cases theweighing is carried out again until the required amount is obtained.

The method can also comprise a weighing phase for the reconstitutedreceptacle, in which the second robot 12 transports the reconstitutedreceptacle 2 to the weighing area 9 to weigh it. It can thus beascertained if the amount of liquid added to the receptacle for thereconstitution is correct.

To ensure that the base product to be filled in a transfer tool 4 is thecorrect one, the machine 100 can comprise at least one video system,such as a video camera 80, for example, and the receptacles 2 cancomprise an adhesive label identifying the base product it houses andthe state in which it houses it. Thus, by reading the label it can bedetermined if a receptacle 2 is housing the required base product ornot, and if it is in a liquid state or not.

What is claimed is:
 1. A machine for the automatic preparation of anintravenous medication, the machine comprising a chamber having astarting products area where at least one receptacle is disposed with abase product from which the intravenous medication is generated, atransfer tools area where at least one transfer tool that is used toprepare the required medication is disposed, a prepared products areawhere at least one container to house the prepared medication isdisposed and where the transfer tool is used to place the base productinto the container, and a first robot to handle the transfer tool, thefirst robot adapted to transport the transfer tool between the transfertools area, the starting products area and the prepared products area inorder to prepare the intravenous medication, wherein the chamber furthercomprises a reconstituting area adapted to receive the at least onereceptacle for the purpose of dissolving powdered or lyophilisedcontents that may be contained in the at least one receptacle, the firstrobot adapted to pick up the receptacle from the starting products area,transport the receptacle to the reconstituting area where the contentsof the receptacle are dissolved, and transport the receptacle back tothe starting products area.
 2. A machine according to claim 1 whereinthe first robot is adapted to transport the container within thechamber.
 3. A machine according to claim 1, further comprising a toolthat is fixed to the first robot and which is adapted to hold andmanipulate the transfer tool.
 4. A machine according to claim 1, whereineach of the receptacles in the starting products area is supported by ahandling tool, each of the receptacles having a different handling tool,the first robot being adapted to pick up each of the handling tools totransport the receptacles to the reconstituting area.
 5. A machineaccording to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning system to clean atleast part of the chamber, the cleaning system comprising at least onehole situated within a wall of the chamber through which a sprayedliquid or a fluid in the form of a jet is introduced into one or more ofthe starting products area, the prepared products area and transfertools area of the chamber.
 6. A machine according to claim 5, furthercomprising drainage system adapted to evacuate from the chamber at leastpart of the fluid introduced by the cleaning system, the drainage systemcomprising at least one drainage hole disposed in a bottom part of thechamber, the bottom part of the chamber having at least one drainagesurface to guide fluid to the drainage hole.
 7. A machine according toclaim 5, further comprising a drying system that is adapted toeffectuate a drying of the interior of the chamber and of the elementsdisposed within the chamber, the drying system comprising an inletaccess in the top part of the chamber, at least one flow router situatedto force an airflow into the chamber through the inlet access, and anoutlet access disposed in a bottom part of the chamber through which theair flow is forced out of the chamber.
 8. A method for the automaticpreparation of an intravenous medication, the method comprisingpositioning a receptacle with a base product in a starting products areaof a chamber of a machine, positioning a transfer tool that is used toprepare the intravenous medication in a transfer tools area of thechamber, positioning a container in a prepared products area of thechamber and by means of a first robot transporting the transfer toolbetween the transfer tools area, the starting products area and theprepared products area in order to prepare the intravenous medication,wherein the first robot carries out an intravenous medicationpreparation operation by picking up the transfer tool from the transfertools area, transporting the transfer tool to the starting productsarea, operates on the transfer tool to cause the transfer tool to bepartially or completely filled with a specific amount of the baseproduct present in the receptacle, transporting the transfer tool withthe base product to the prepared products area, and partially orcompletely emptying the transfer tool in the container.
 9. A methodaccording to claim 8, wherein first and second receptacles arepositioned within the starting products area, each of the first andsecond receptacles containing a different base product, and whereinfirst and second transfer tools are positioned within the transfer toolsarea, the first transfer tool being used in conjunction with the firstreceptacle, the second transfer tool being used in conjunction with thesecond receptacle.
 10. A method according to claim 8, wherein thereceptacle is disposed in a substantially vertical position in thestarting products area, the first robot disposing the transfer tool in asubstantially vertical position and facing the receptacle to cause thetotal or partial filling of the transfer tool with the base product ofthe receptacle.
 11. A method according to claim 8, wherein when thecontents of the receptacle are powdered or lyophilised, the receptacleis transported from the starting products area to a reconstituting areaby the first robot or by a second robot disposed within the chamber. 12.A method according to claim 11, wherein the powered or lyophilisedcontents are mixed with a reconstituting liquid to dissolve to producethe base product, and upon completion of the mixing the receptacle isreturned back to the starting products area.
 13. A method according toclaim 12, wherein the first robot or second robot is adapted to shakethe receptacle in the reconstituting area upon the reconstituting liquidbeing introduced into the receptacle.
 14. A method for the automaticpreparation of an intravenous medication, the method comprisingpositioning a receptacle with a base product in a starting products areaof a chamber of a machine, positioning a transfer tool that is used toprepare the intravenous medication in a transfer tools area of thechamber, positioning a container in a prepared products area of thechamber and by means of a first robot transporting the transfer toolbetween the transfer tools area, the starting products area and theprepared products area in order to prepare the intravenous medication,the base product being placed into the container by the transfer tool inthe prepared products area, wherein when the contents of the receptacleare powdered or lyophilised, the receptacle is transported from thestarting products area to a reconstituting area by the first robot or bya second robot disposed within the chamber.
 15. A method according toclaim 14, wherein the first robot carries out an intravenous medicationpreparation operation by picking up the transfer tool from the transfertools area, transporting the transfer tool to the starting productsarea, operates on the transfer tool to cause the transfer tool to bepartially or completely filled with a specific amount of the baseproduct present in the receptacle, transporting the transfer tool withthe base product to the prepared products area, and partially orcompletely emptying the transfer tool in the container.
 16. A methodaccording to claim 15, wherein first and second receptacles arepositioned within the starting products area, each of the first andsecond receptacles containing a different base product, and whereinfirst and second transfer tools are positioned within the transfer toolsarea, the first transfer tool being used in conjunction with the firstreceptacle, the second transfer tool being used in conjunction with thesecond receptacle.
 17. A method according to claim 14, wherein thereceptacle is disposed in a substantially vertical position in thestarting products area, the first robot disposing the transfer tool in asubstantially vertical position and facing the receptacle to cause thetotal or partial filling of the transfer tool with the base product ofthe receptacle.
 18. A method according to claim 14, wherein the poweredor lyophilised contents are mixed with a reconstituting liquid todissolve to produce the base product, and upon completion of the mixingthe receptacle is returned back to the starting products area.
 19. Amethod according to claim 18, wherein the first robot or second robot isadapted to shake the receptacle in the reconstituting area upon thereconstituting liquid being introduced into the receptacle.